Wordless Wednesday: A Day at the Park

Snapshots: Thanksgiving 2008

A little Thanksgiving Day Art work to greet our guests:

Simple table decor:



Adorable kids:



More art work:

Sister-in-law making gravy:

Chief slaying the turkey:

Light the candles, and we are off:

My brother, sis-in-law and nephew:

Happy, Happy, Happy!!

My brother and family arrived safely last night after 11:30 p.m. We are going to be so busy the next couple of days, but I will be one photo taking Auntie!! My newest nephew, is a precious love muffin and I could just eat him up.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my wonderful friends in our blog universe. I hope you get to enjoy all the blessings in your life and provide a blessing to someone else along the way. Peace!!

Turkey Day Countdown

Well, my baby brother (Tony) left his home in Biloxi, Mississippi this morning at 3:30 a.m. to drive up here to Virginia Beach. He and his beautiful wife (Courtney) and two boys are headed here for the holiday and I can't wait!!!! He should be here tonight around the time I get home from work (6:00). That is a long drive with a 9-year-old (Skylar) and a 7-month-old (Deagan). I am sure they will be ready to get out of that car when they arrive!!

I am the oldest of four children and Tony is the youngest and only boy. So his three big sisters have subjected him to all kinds of dressing up over the years. Poor kid! But he has turned into a wonderful man and an amazing father and I couldn't be prouder of his success. And even better, he loves to cook too and is really good at it, so we should have one heck of a good Turkey Day.

Are you getting your menu and ingredients ready for T-day? Are you having overnight guests? Are you eating at home or at someone else's place. Please tell me all about it!!

P.S. The extra room is done!! Clean and ready to house my brother and his family! Yippee, I did it and I'm here to talk about it!! Pictures to come!

The Last Remaining Frontier

Since our relocation in July, we have been in remodeling limbo. I have repainted, recaulked, cleaned, dissected, redecorated most every room in the house. Well, all except one. My guest room/home office/craft studio. Exactly....how am I going to get all of that into one little room? At the old house we had two extra rooms. One was guest room/office and the other was my craft studio. Well, needless to say, I have been putting off digging into that space and the room has become a catch-all for pretty much anything we don't currently know what to do with. See for yourself:



I know, I am cringing inside seeing the photos! Well, my brother and his lovely wife and two nephews are driving up for Thanksgiving. The are driving about 15 hours from Biloxi. I can hardly wait to see them and their new addition, Deagan Alexander, who has been on this planet for 5 months and Aunt Kim has not even seen the precious bundle in person!! So this weekend, I will be transforming this hot mess into a comfy, cozy sanctuary for my brother. What??? I can do it!! So not much blogging will be going on for me - or anything else for that matter. Check back for the results photos! Have a great weekend!

Pink Candy Favors

Making candy using molds couldn't be easier and never fails to impress guests. The candy molds and candy melts can be purchased at any number of craft stores in the cake supply aisle. The molds start as low as $1.39 and are reusable. They come in a huge variety of designs. I got the candy melts on sale 2 bags for 5 dollars and they come in an array of colors. One bag of candy melts made over 100 candies. Two things to remember when making candy: #1 - microwave on 50% power, chocolate burns easily. #2 - Chocolate and water don't mix, so don't try to thin it or anything with water, that equals a big mess!! You don't have to have one, but the squeeze bottle is neater and makes things a lot easier.


Melt Chocolate in the microwave in the bottle according to package directions:


Using the squeeze bottle, fill the molds 3/4 way to the top. Pat the molds evenly on counter to spread the chocolate. Stick the mold in the freezer for about 3 minutes. Turn out the choclates. It is that simple.


Aren't they pretty? Don't know if you can see the detail, but there are pacifiers, bottles, rattles, rocking horses, diaper pins and booties.


I packaged these in little tins with a sticker of baby feet on top for favors!

Chicken Salad My Way

Here is my simple and delicious recipe for Chicken Salad. You can either cook your own chicken, or get a roatissare chicken from the grocery store:

Chicken, cooked and shredded (1.5 to 2 lbs)
Lemon Pepper Seasoning (2 Tablespoons)
Can Crushed Pineappled, drained
Chopped Pecans (1.5 to 2 cups)
Mayo (enough to make the mixture stick)
Squeeze of fresh lemon juice before serving



Mix all ingredients and chill overnight. Serve with croissants. Let me know if you love it, I know you will.